. >> if you really think the end of the world is at hand, that has a kind of liberating and frantic energy that goes along with it. it's not good for quiet crowds and social stability. and ven the... the emotional and religious tenor of this holiday anyway, to have somebody preaching that the kingdom of god was really on its way-- perhaps it was going to be coming within, you know, within that very holiday-- preaching that the... the... in the days before passover, it's the equivalent of shouting "fire!" in a crowded theater. >> narrator: the gospels agree that this politically charged climate was the occasion for his arrest, but what happened next, and the role played by the priests, remains unclear. >> i think there's some kind of cooperation between the chief priests and pilate. the chief priests always had to cooperate with rome because it's their jobs. they're mediating between the imperial government and the people. then there was a perceived danger that pilate was on the verge of some kind of muscular crowd control. people would get hurt or killed when pilate felt so moved. and perh